203 
its skin the last time, there is a fine yellow line just outside these 
patches. In the lighter specimens, and as found last year, the ground 
color on the back, between these black spots, is variegated a little so 
as to show a faint diamond shaped spot on the middle of each segment, 
the two darkest points being at the posterior and anterior parts of the 
segments. Sometimes the ground color has a slightly brownish tinge, 
which, under the pocket lens, shows that it is caused by minute 
brown spots. In these specimens the black elongate patches are 
nearly obsolete on the anterior part of the body. 
The moth has blackish-purple fore-wings, brownish in the males, 
with a black C-like spot in the middle, the open part toward the front 
edge, and filled with a carneous spot that reaches to the edge of the 
wing. In pupating, this species seems averse to following the estab¬ 
lished rule of writers, of changing to a chrysalis in an oval earthen 
cocoon. Out of quite a number reared this season, the first two pu¬ 
pated in brown, silken cocoons attached to the sides of the rearing 
cage, one about midway up from the bottom, and the other near th© 
surface of the dirt. Another changed to a chrysalis on top of the 
dirt without forming any cocoon and without any protection, though 
there was rubbish not two inches from it where it might have sought 
shelter. All the rest pupated in the ground, “in oval earthen cocoons.” 
In habit they are general feeders, like the rest of the cut-worms, 
but from the fact that the brood upon which my observations were 
made, pupate so early but little damage can be done by them to either 
garden or field crops, save in the case of those fall sown, such as let¬ 
tuce and spinach, that are intended to be used early, for they are out 
of the w r ay before most vegetables, etc., are planted. But as the chry¬ 
salis state lasts only a short time, corn, and other crops, may be injured 
by the same brood. There must be two or more broods in a season. 
Moth .—Length .70 of an inch. Expanse of wings 1.60 inches. 
Ground color of fore wings dark purplish ash gray, all markings on 
the back and outer portion of the wings nearly obsolete. The basal, 
t. a. and t. p. lines black, faintly double, the first and last indistinct, 
except near the costa ; subterminal line only a few buff scales. Orbi¬ 
cular large, buff with a lilac tinge, clearly defined below, but instead 
of coming together above, its sides widen out like a broad letter V, 
the color reaching to the costa, where it is a little darker, and extend¬ 
ing from the t. a. line to above the reniform. This is so bordered be¬ 
low with black as to bear a resemblance to the letter C. The reni¬ 
form has a small space in its costal border of the same carneous color, 
and there are a few scales of the same on the posterior margin below 
the basal line, and between the basal and t. a. lines, though these are 
not always present. Ante-apexal spot black. Hind wings smoky, 
darker at the apex, veins only slightly darker than the rest. Head, 
prothorax and thorax concolorous with the fore wings, with a brown 
line on the prothorax bordered each side with buff, the thoracic tufts 
tipped somewhat with brown. The male differs from the above in 
having a dash of purplish brown band across the wing from the t. a. 
to the sub-terminal line, much lighter in the sub-terminal space, and 
the thoracic tufts being darker, and the lines on the prothorax 
lighter, the brown somewhat olive tinted. 
